Mike Sauce / lead guitar & vocals

Mike was born in Germany and has lived all over the world from Asia to Europe to many states in America. The passion for music hit him at an early age when he got his first guitar at age 8. He was so passionate about learning to play that he drug it behind his bicycle until there was little left that resembled an instrument. A few more years passed and by age 12 he had decided that he really wanted to learn. The Beatles, The Hollies and Jimi Hendrix were early influences. Now after many many years of performing in bands such as The Queens Rogues, The Great Pumpkin Syndicate, The Fables, Saratoga, First Rush, The Joe City Band, Polydor Recording Artist “Starkravin”, and the infamous “Inflatable Dates”, Mike still loves performing and the audience always gets the message.
 

Russ Webb / guitar & vocals

Born and raised in Ft. Worth, Texas, Russ Webb started his musical career in the 60’s as a drummer in a local garage band playing Ventures tunes. He played drums in the school marching band until he heard the Beatles. It was guitar from then on. After serving in the military, Russ continued to live overseas and play in a variety of bands throughout the Orient. From matching tuxedos in a “lounge lizard” band called “Sundaze”, playing acoustic beach side in the trio “Seadog”, playing rowdy club rock in the band “Cat Tail”, to backing acts such as The Platters and Chuck Berry, Russ got a taste of it all in the oriental grind. Upon coming back to Texas in the 70’s he hooked up with Bobby Crown (now a member of the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame) and played guitar for 18 years in “Bobby Crown and Fargo” and later just the “Bobby Crown Band”. Russ says, “We played every honky-tonk in the Metroplex from The White Elephant to the Torch Club but we were the house band for the clubs Whiskey River, The Dunes Club, Little Bit Country and Wet Willie’s...”. No longer the new guy in “First Rush”, he plays guitar, sings, and holds on for dear life!
 

Mark Hicks / keyboards & vocals

The son of a Louisianan French Quarter jazz pianist and a Texan rockabilly singing guitarist, Mark Hicks grew up embedded in music. He joined his first rock band as a youth after building a Heathkit Vox Jaguar combo organ kit running through a hot-wired Leslie rig that would send an OSHA inspector bolting for cover; many ensembles later in the mid 70s found him performing in the North Central Texas rock band First Rush, with which he would later sign with Polydor Records. Now in his fifties, with a day gig as a teacher, he has rejoined the reformed First Rush. Mark variously gigs on a Kurzweil PC3, a Roland Fantom X7 and a Korg TR76 through an QSC K12 amp, and may on rare occasions be seen tooting sax or flute sounds through a MIDI wind controller!
 

Rick Johansen / drums & vocals

Rick began playing drums when he was 13. As he was growing up, he juggled his schedule between athletics and music. His first professional band was called “Saratoga”, a band that he founded along with long time friend Mike Sauce. Saratoga featured a horn section and played in clubs around Texas from the early 70’s to the mid 70’s. From Saratoga he and Mike formed the original band called “First Rush”, a band devoid of the horn section which performed many clubs and shows throughout the southwest United States from the mid 70’s through early 80’s. First Rush would later go through a name change to “Stark Ravin” to release their first single on the Polydor label. Rick then joined another popular Dallas-Ft. Worth band called “Lynx”. This time he was the new kid on the block. Lynx had already released a song on the “Refined Texas Crude” album and was opening shows for national acts as well as playing in local clubs. It was in Lynx that he hooked up with Jimmie Wallace and David Newell. He was in Lynx through the mid 80’s. Rick began a teaching and coaching career in 1979. In the mid 80’s he, along with Mike Sauce and David Newell formed a new band called “The Inflatable Dates”. They played the local club scene from the mid 80’s to early 90’s. It was at that time that Rick went on to pursue his teaching and coaching career full time. In the spring of 2007 original Glory Daze bassist Ken Johnson, the bass player from The Inflatable Dates, called Rick, Mike Sauce, and original keyboardist Mark Hicks from First Rush with the idea to get back together and perform.

Skip Johnson / bass guitar & vocals

Skip was born in Grand Prairie and lived there all his life. As a young teenager he was blown away by the Beatles and Rolling Stones and was determined to become a musician. A kind uncle bought him his first guitar and his folks agreed to lessons. He soon became good enough to play in the GPHS Gopher stage band and Capers pit orchestra, all while playing in several garage bands and then switching to bass. After high school, he took a few music elective courses while earning a business degree at SMU. It was around this time he met Mike and Rick and helped form the original First Rush band. After college he became a full time rock musician. As the song says “it’s never too late to work 9 to 5”. After 7 years and a couple of near misses with commercial success, he gave his spot to another bass player and went into insurance and occasionally playing in his church orchestra or accompanying a soloist on his acoustic guitar. He currently has a Farmers Insurance Agency in Grand Prairie. Recently, a surprise call from the guys invited him to try out for a reformed classic rock band now renamed back to First Rush, and he gladly accepted. He plays on a Music Man Stingray 5 and still has his classic 1966 Gibson Thunderbird, playing through a Hartke VX3500 bass amp.